Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
by Misfit Writer
Summary: Brooke lives with Lucas after persuading her parents to go back to T. H. from California, and she and Lucas get back together. But things aren't going to be easy...especially when Lucas is left in a coma from a car accident. Ch. 17 & Epilogue up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: ideas mine, otherwise, not mine!

Summary: Plans are changed, and friendships are tested when Brooke finds out how Lucas really feels. But what will happen when he's in a car accident, and fighting for his life, again?

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**CHAPTER 1**: Moving…

Brooke's eyes began to fill with tears as she stared at the picture in her hands. It was of her and Luke. She had her hand over his mouth and they were both laughing. Even though they had broken up after she found out he and Peyton had gone behind her back…she'd since began to feel those butterflies in her stomach every time she saw him…and her knees would still weaken when he would smile at her. But Felix was so jealous of Lucas; it was hard to see him anymore. It took Felix being grounded for her to go to the wedding with Luke.

But she had to see him before she moved to California…she just had to. She couldn't go without looking into his piercing blue eyes and seeing into the depths of his soul like she always could.

A soft rapping on her door brought her from her reverie, and she looked up to see the very person that she had been thinking of. "Lucas…" she murmured, wiping her eyes quickly. She slid the picture into the box on her lap.

"Hey," he responded softly, stepping into her room and looking around. "I just wanted to come see you. I've been missing you so much…Felix doesn't exactly like me hanging out with you. Have you been crying?" Lucas sat next to her, and wrapped an arm around her. Instinctively, she leaned into him, loving the feel of him holding her. It just felt so right…

"I was just looking at old pictures…thinking about how much I'm going to miss everyone. Lucas, I don't want to leave…I don't know what I'm going to do without you guys."

Lucas slid his other arm around her waist, and pulled her to his chest. She began to sob, clinging to him tightly. "I know, baby…I know. I don't want to lose you either." He leaned down, and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "Have you told Felix yet?"

"Told me what?" an angry voice questioned sarcastically. Both Lucas and Brooke looked up simultaneously, and saw Felix standing in the doorway, a furious scowl on his face. Brooke jumped up.

"Uh…Felix…there's something I need to tell you. You remember that I told you about my dad's interview for the big job, right? Well…he got it." Brooke took a deep breath to continue, but never got the chance.

"Oh, that's great, babe!" Felix lifted her up and spun her around, then planted a passionate kiss on her lips. She tried to push him away, but he just pulled her in to kiss her again. Lucas jumped to his feet defensively, prepared to pull her away from him.

Brooke finally managed to get Felix off of her, but missed the smug grin that her boyfriend gave to Lucas. She glanced behind her at her best friend, then back to her boyfriend. "Well…there's a catch. The…the job's in California."

Felix stared at her in shock. "California! So…so that means you're moving…to…California?" Brooke simply nodded. "You can't move. You…you belong here…with me."

Brooke gave him an apologetic look. "I know…I'm sorry, but I have no choice. If I had any say, I wouldn't go anywhere. I can't leave Tree Hill…I love it here too much. My whole life has been here."

There was a long, tense silence in the room. Lucas stared at the back of Brooke's head, his heart breaking at the thought of her leaving for good. Brooke stared at the floor, torn between the two men in her room. Felix was staring at Lucas, slowly realizing that he was there. 

"I thought you said you weren't going to talk to him anymore?" he snapped, surprising Brooke with his tone. Lucas' eyes narrowed as he watched Felix, slightly confused. Why would Brooke agree to that?

"Felix, I never said that! Why the hell would I agree to stop talking to my best friend?" she questioned fiercely, her hands coming to rest on her hips. Felix stared over her shoulder at Lucas, his eyes burning with hatred.

"Because he's your ex boyfriend. I've seen the looks you've given each other. I'm not blind."

Lucas gave a sharp, bark-like laugh. "Well I think you are, because you can't see the incredible girl that you have. All you can see is her sneaking around with other guys. Maybe you should open your eyes, see that she's too loyal to do run around on anyone, and then start to trust her some." He paused for a moment, part of him enjoying the fury that was radiating from Felix at that moment. "Or maybe you could just let her go, because you really don't deserve her."

Felix roared with anger, pushed Brooke aside, and lunged at Lucas. His fist connected with Luke's jaw, causing him to stumble back onto her bed.

"Felix, stop!" Brooke pleaded, pulling at his arm. He simply shook her off, and turned back to Lucas.

When Luke straightened up, Felix grabbed the collar of his shirt and pushed him back against the wall. "You bastard, how can you talk about deserving her? You cheated on her!"

Lucas nodded, and pushed him back as non-threateningly as he could. "I betrayed her trust, and I had to gain it back. I see her for who she really is…for the amazing, beautiful person she really is. And I know only someone who would treat her right, someone who would never make her cry, would deserve her, because I know I don't. And I know you sure as hell aren't that guy either."

Felix punched him again, this time in the stomach, and let him fall to his knees. He turned to Brooke. "Either you stop talking to him, or we're through for good. You choose, babe."

Brooke looked at him furiously, and then looked down to Lucas, who was pushing himself up to his feet again. "Get out, Felix. If you can't respect that I talk to my best friend when I'm sad, and if you can't accept the fact that I'm not going to let you push him out of my life, then I can't have you in my life."

With a growl of fury, and another glare at Lucas, Felix obeyed. Brooke turned to Lucas, and shook her head. "Why do you get him worked up like that?"

"Because you deserve so much better than him, and I couldn't stand seeing you in pain because of him. What I said was the truth. He didn't trust you, he didn't treat you the way you deserve to be treated, and he didn't know you at all. He was always too wrapped up in himself. You need someone who is wrapped up in you."

She rolled her eyes. "Come here, your lip is bleeding." She grabbed a tissue, and dabbed at his cut lip. Once the bleeding stopped, she sighed and looked up at him. "Thank you. Now…could you help me finish packing?"

Lucas smiled gently. "Sure…on one condition."

"What's that?" Brooke questioned with a wry grin. Lucas held his arms out to her, asking for a hug. She instantly ran into his arms, and just let him hold her for a long time, before they pulled away and began to put the rest of her things in boxes.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay…I just needed to make a quick comment, aside from the million thank yous to those who reviewed! You guys rock!

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**CHAPTER 2**: Returning Home, and a Secret is Revealed

Lucas walked into his mother's cafe with a sad smile. Andy was behind the counter, consoling his distressed mother. Ever since Keith's ruined wedding, Karen had been in low spirits, and there were only two people who could make her feel better: her boyfriend and her son.

"Hey Mom, hey Andy," Luke murmured, sitting at the barstool. Andy looked up at him and smiled, and Karen sighed heavily.

"Hey, honey. How are you doing today? It's great to see you again; I've missed you so much." She reached over and took Lucas' hand tightly, trying to smile through her tears. After a moment of looking at him adoringly, she hesitated. "What happened to your lip?"

"Felix wasn't happy because I was with Brooke today. He doesn't like me much, especially when I'm around her. But…that's not going to be possible for much longer," Lucas explained heavily, feeling his own eyes fill with tears. It killed him to think that she would be going to the other side of the country, and she wouldn't know how he truly felt. It wasn't like he could tell her, right after she'd broken up with Felix.

"Why not? What's wrong, Luke?" Andy questioned softly. Lucas appreciated how Andy had cared enough to get to know him and befriend him quickly. He was even starting to become a good father figure to him.

"Brooke…she's…she's moving to California in two days. Her father got the job he had been looking for, so they _all_ have to move." As soon as the words left his lips, the tears spilled onto his cheeks. Karen gasped softly, then made her way around the counter and hugged Lucas tightly. He sobbed silently into her shoulder, grateful for the comfort.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. There's no way for her to stay here? She hasn't even graduated from school yet."

Luke pulled back and looked up at his mother. "No, there's nowhere for her to stay."

Karen stroked Luke's hair, and watched him sadly. His already-expressive eyes showed his intense grief, and it broke her heart. He had already been through so much, why did he have to lose one if his best friends too?

"Um…Mom…I have a question. Ever since the wedding, I've been thinking…would it be okay if I moved back in? I miss you so much…I would completely understand if you don't want me to…I know I might be intruding." A voice in the back of his head told him that Dan wouldn't pay for the HCM medication anymore

Karen stared at him in shock for a moment, and then shook her head vigorously. "Oh, honey, you could _never_ intrude. Of course you can move back in…I've been waiting for you to say that ever since you'd moved out to begin with. Do you want me to talk to Dan?"

"No! No…I'll do it...I'll tell him," Lucas insisted quickly. He glanced at Andy, who smiled warmly at him, and smiled back. "I'm going to go tell him now, and get my things…ok?" Karen nodded. Lucas kissed her on the cheek, nodded to Andy, and then made his way out of the café.

As Lucas walked to Dan's, he thought about Brooke, and her leaving. He was going to miss her so much…he'd realized in the time that she was with Felix that he was in love with her. And he hated Felix for not treating her the way he should have. She deserved the best treatment…hell, she in the least deserved a gentleman. He was too self-centered to be that to her.

"Lucas! Lucas, wait up!" a voice called from down the road. Luke turned around to see Nathan jogging up to him, and stopped. His half-brother slowed to a walk as he reached him, and they continued in the direction of Dan's. "Hey, man. I heard about Brooke moving. I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to your lip?"

Lucas smiled wryly. "Felix didn't want me near his girlfriend, and I told him that he didn't deserve her, so he punched me a few times. Brooke kicked him out of her house after that. I can't believe she's leaving in _two days_…I'm going to miss her so much."

"I know, man…I know. Hey, where're you headed? We could go to the Rivercourt to shoot some hoops," Nathan suggested softly, trying to help keep his brother's mind off of the girl he knew that he loved.

"I'm going to Dan's…I'm going to tell him that I'm going back to my mom's house. I wanted to keep him from screwing with Keith and Jules' wedding, so there's no more reason for me to be there." Lucas felt bad not telling his brother the whole truth, but he knew things wouldn't be the same if anyone knew. "You can come too…wait outside if you want to…and then we can go shoot some hoops afterwards. I have a feeling I'm going to want to get away from the house as soon as possible anyway."

Nathan nodded his agreement. When they reached Dan's, he did wait outside when Lucas went in.

"Dad?" Luke called, finding him in the living room. Dan looked up at him and smiled his usual, fake-looking grin. "I just wanted to let you know…that I'm going to live with my mother again. She needs me right now, and I don't have any reason to be here anymore."

Dan smirked. "Is that so? Do you forget that _I'm _paying for your medication? How do you intend to pay for it if you live with your mother? Are you going to tell her the truth?"

Lucas scowled at his father, knowing that Dan was going to play as dirty as he had to in order to get him to stay. "Yes, I am. She deserves to know the truth more than anyone."

"Suit yourself. But I expect all of your things out of here before noon tomorrow," Dan stated coldly. Lucas was surprised that he didn't fight him anymore, and wondered what card he was hiding in his sleeve now. Without another word, he got up and went out to his brother.

"How'd it go?" Nathan asked once they got to the Rivercourt. Lucas sighed, and shook his head.

"Too easy. He's going to try to pull _something_, I can feel it. He just let me go. There's too much involved for it to just be over for him."

"I thought you were just there for Keith?" Nathan questioned, shooting the ball over Lucas' fingers and making a basket. Lucas grabbed the ball, and then stood still.

"Nate, there's another reason I was there. I didn't tell anyone this…but I tested positive for HCM. I'd used Keith's results paper to show everyone that I hadn't. Dan…Dan had agreed to pay for my medication if I lived with him."

Nathan stared at him in shock for a few minutes before he could move. "You what! And you haven't told anyone but our _father_? Yet you're playing basketball? Lucas, are you stupid? You know the risks of HCM…it could kill you," Nathan snapped, grabbing the basketball from Lucas.

"I know that…but what would you do if you found out you had the HCM? Would you have been able to give up something you love so much?" Lucas questioned sharply, sitting down on the bleachers heavily. Nathan sat next to him slowly, disbelief clear on his face.

"No, I guess I wouldn't have been…but Lucas, how could you hide this from all of us? This is a big deal, it's bigger than the secret you kept about Jules and Dan's deal. How are you going to pay for those medications?"

"I don't know, man…I've just been more worried about how I'm going to tell my mom in the first place…I haven't even thought about paying for them. Dan most likely won't pay for them anymore, so I will have to figure something out."

Nathan nodded, and patted his brother's back comfortingly. "Well, why don't you start with telling your mom first, then you and her can figure something out. I think I'm going to go find my wife."

Lucas looked up at his brother with a surprised look, until a smile graced his features. "Good...I'm glad you're_ finally_ coming to your senses and going to find out for sure if you really are over. Tell her I miss her for me, okay?"

"I will. Take care, Luke. I'll be back soon," Nate sighed. Both brothers went their separate ways without another word.

Lucas took a deep breath as he re-entered the café. His mother spotted him instantly, and walked over to greet him at the door. He pulled her off to the side a little bit, then saw Andy out of the corner of his eye and gestured him over. "I told Dan…it's over, I'm coming back…but there's something I have to tell you…so I figured you should be here too, Andy. Mom, I think you might want to…sit down," Lucas advised softly, dreading what he was about to say.

"Why, Lucas, what's going on?" Karen asked sharply, but obeyed nonetheless. Lucas sighed.

"Well…do you remember when I showed you the results for the HCM test and told you that I didn't have it? Well…those results weren't mine. They were Keith's. Mom…I have HCM."

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Sorry there's no Brooke in this chapter, but I promise she'll be in the next one...but that was important for the story! lol I'll put up the next one soon I promise!


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**: How Do You Let Go?

Karen's face grew extremely pale as she began to come out of the state of shock she had been thrown into. Lucas shifted uneasily on his feet, and glanced at Andy, who was just as shocked as his girlfriend.

"_W-what_! Lucas…how could you keep this from me! How _dare_ you lie to me!" She jumped to her feet and slapped Lucas hard across his cheek, then reached back to hit him again, but Andy intervened and grabbed her hand. Lucas' head remained turned and his eyes were closed in sadness. When he slowly turned back to look at his mother, tears were falling down his cheek. He sent a quick, grateful glance at Andy, who was still holding Karen to him tightly.

Lucas lat his sky blue gaze drop to the floor "Mom…I was scared. I didn't want to burden you any more than I already do. The medication was too expensive, I knew you'd feel like you needed to do something if I told you-"

"Lucas! You're my _son_! You've never been a burden! And of course I need to do something…because _I love you_ and don't know what I would do without you. Hey," She pulled away from Andy and lifted her son's chin so he was looking into her eyes, now also filling with tears. "You mean more to me than anything…I'd do anything for you. Money doesn't matter when it comes to your health. But you have to _tell_ me when something's wrong."

A sob escaped Lucas' throat, and he felt himself leaning down into her hand for comfort. Andy stepped forward, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm scared, Mom. What are we going to do?"

Andy quietly guided them to the back room, where Lucas and Karen hugged, both crying. He watched them for a moment sadly; still in slight shock that Lucas had the heart condition. He didn't understand why such a great kid had to go through so much pain. He'd been abandoned by his father, and grown up with a tight budget, to name a couple of things. But just looking at the mother and son, Andy could see that he'd been raised well. There was a fatherly protection that he felt towards Lucas, especially after he'd moved in with Dan and things had begun to get very complicated.

A sudden thought hit Andy, and he smiled. "I'll pay for the medication," he stated. Lucas and Karen both looked up at him in confusion, causing him to laugh. "I will pay for the medication…I have more than enough to pay for it."

Karen shook her head. "Andy, I can't ask you to do that for us…it's too much. We can figure something out."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah…even though I really appreciate it, Andy, the medicine costs a lot of money."

Andy shook his head, and stepped up to face Lucas. "Ever since I met your mother, I've just felt this uncanny…_desire_…to do anything for the both of you. Especially if it meant that it would help keep you safe and healthy. That's why I hired the investigator…because I had a feeling that I needed to protect you from Dan…even though I didn't know him." He shrugged. "I don't know what it is, but I can't-and don't _want_ to-fight it."

Lucas' eyes filled with fresh tears, and he stepped forward and threw his arms around Andy's neck. The older man rubbed his back soothingly, and just held him as he cried. In that moment, they both felt a bond forming that resembled that of a father and son. Karen, who was standing back a few feet, stared at the two most important men in her life, and saw the same thing. In that moment, each of them realized that they were a family…

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The next day, Lucas packed his room and moved it back to his mother's house. As Lucas looked around the room, he remembered why he loved it there so much. It was more…him. He loved it more at his mothers, for obvious reasons.

"Luke?" a small voice asked softly from his door. He turned, and smiled sadly at the girl in his doorway.

"Hey, Crazy Girl. What're you doing here…I thought you'd be getting ready to leave. What're you doing over here?" He lifted a box off of his lap, and stood to face her. "Isn't your flight leaving in an hour?"

Brooke nodded, tears filling her eyes and despair marring her features. "I don't want to go, Luke. I don't want to leave you," she cried. He instinctively pulled her against his chest and held her close to him. She sobbed hard and her tears soaked his shirt, but all he cared about was her, and that she was there in that moment.

"There has to be some way for you to stay…you're not even done school. The year's almost over…how can they expect you to start over now? Oh, God, Brooke, this can't be it. It can't be over just like this."

And so they stood, holding each other as if they'd never let go. For how long, neither of them knew. But it didn't matter, because they both knew it was very likely that they would never see one another again.

"You have to go…you'll miss your flight," Lucas insisted heavy-heartedly. Brooke pulled away and stared into his eyes sadly, and nodded. "I'm going to miss you so much…call me as soon as you get there, okay?" 

Brooke nodded, more tears slipping down her cheeks as she leaned into Lucas once more and then reached up to kiss his cheek tenderly. "Goodbye, Broody."

As soon as Brooke was out of the house, Lucas went to his mother desperately. "Mom, we have to do something…I can't just let her walk out of my life forever…there has to be something we can do." He thought as hard as he could, until his mother gasped, and looked at him.

"She could stay _here_! We have an extra bed downstairs. But she has to have permission from her mother first…"

"But she's on her way to the airport! How will she be able to get permission in time! I have to stop her. I'll be back…hopefully with Brooke…" 

With that, Lucas rushed out to of the house and jumped into his car and rushed to the airport. Glancing at his watch as he ran into the building, he saw that he had about twenty minutes before the flight took off. "Just find her," he ordered himself. He took a quick glance at a flight board and saw that Brooke's flight was leaving from Gate 8C. Without hesitating, he took off in that direction, praying he wasn't too late.

"Brooke! Brooke!" he called as he ran, not seeing her gate for an achingly long time. When it finally came into view, he spotted her giving the attendant her ticket. "Brooke!"

Lucas breathed a huge sigh of relief when she turned to look at him, and stopped. The look on her face told him that she didn't want to see him again, but he just had to get her to stay. "Brooke…stay with me. We have room. Stay at my house. How am I supposed to let you go?" he pleaded, on the verge of tears.

The beautiful brunette before him took a deep, shaky breath and shook her head. Tears slid like crystals down her cheek "Luke, please don't make this any harder than it already is. You know I can't stay…my parents are waiting for me in California as it is. I'm sorry…I wish it were different, but it's not. Just let me go…please." She started to turn back to the attendant.

"I love you, Brooke," Lucas blurted suddenly, surprising not only himself, but Brooke as well. She froze, and faced him again. He couldn't decipher the look in her eyes, but his heart pleaded that she loved him back. He'd laid his heart out in front of her. Now, she could either accept it, or break it.

"Lucas," she murmured, barely getting his name out before sobbing. She dropped her bags, and before he knew what was going on, she was kissing him with everything she had. His hands slid to the small of her back and into her hair, and let the kiss linger for a beautiful moment so that they could escape the pain of their reality, even if for a few fleeting seconds.

When they finally drew back, Brooke was crying. "Lucas, I love you too." Then she lifted her bags, and grabbed her ticket from the attendant. Before she walked through the gate to board her plane, she paused and turned back to Lucas. "I'm so sorry…but this is how it has to be."

Then she was gone.

Lucas felt his body grow limp with grief. He let himself fall to his knees, and then held his head in his hands. Tears fell freely from his eyes as he tried to comprehend that the woman that he loved more than anything had just walked out of his life for good…after telling him that she loved him too.

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Please don't hurt me or send me hate messages…do you really think I'd let it be over just like that? I think _not_! More will come soon I promise!


	4. Chapter 4

Lol thank you all for not sending me hatemail…cause now I can keep going. Here's my next chapter!

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**CHAPTER 4**: Seeing Her in Everything…

Brooke sighed as she pulled the flaps back on the first box she was going to unpack. As soon as she saw the contents, tears rushed to her eyes. It was the box that she had been packing when Lucas came to her house for the last time. She pulled out the picture she had been staring at that night, her hands shaking.

It had taken her about three seconds after the plane left the ground for her to realize that she was never going to be okay if she wasn't in Tree Hill…and in Lucas' arms. His confession had startled her, but also made her realize that she really had fallen in love with him. But she had thought that there was no way for her to stay with him. Now, she was having second thoughts.

With a look of determination, Brooke wiped the tears out of her eyes, and walked out of her room. "Mom…"

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In the week that followed Brooke's departure, Lucas had drawn away from the world around him, except for when he was working at the café with his mother. Even then, he would be friendly but very quiet. Karen and Andy had started to worry about him, but whenever they asked him how he was, he would say he was okay, and then walk away from them.

Lucas placed a few dirty glasses on the tray resting on his open hand, oblivious to anything else. The café had closed, but when someone stepped in, he didn't look up.

"He almost _always_ looks up when someone comes in…he's too curious not to," a voice murmured to the second figure. "Luke?" 

The voice seemed to pull him out of his trance, and Lucas looked up excitedly. "Haley!" he welcomed happily. In the span of a few seconds, he had laid his tray down, picked up Haley and spun her around a few times. "I'm so glad you're back…so it's safe to assume that everything's okay now?" he questioned, more to Nathan than to Haley.

Nathan nodded, but was watching his brother closely as he did so. "Yep…everything's great. How about you…is she still here?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Nate regretted saying them. Lucas' eyes filled with pain and grief, and his entire body seemed to slump. "I'm so sorry, man."

Haley looked between her husband and best friend, confused. "Who. Who's gone? What is going on?"

Nathan turned to her sadly. "Brooke…she's in California. Her father got a job over there, so they moved." Just by looking at Lucas, Nathan could see that it was killing him inside.

"I told her. I told her that I love her…and she said she loved me too. But then she got on the plane and was just..._gone_. It's been a week…and she never called like she promised she would. I can't her out of my head…yet she has already forgotten about us here. How can she forget us…this is Brooke! She's _always_ kept her promises…but what's changed?"

Nate's heart went out to Lucas. He knew how hard it was, not being with the woman he loved and not knowing if things would ever be right again. He'd felt the same about Haley, until he went to find her. Nathan would've suggested that Lucas did the same, but knew that his brother would never be able to afford it, especially since he had to pay for his heart medication.

"Lucas, she probably just needs some time to adjust to her new life. Maybe she'll call soon. You could probably use some time before you talk to her, too," Haley murmured, placing a comforting hand on his arm. He sighed heavily, and looked out the window.

"No matter where I go, no matter what I look at, she's there somehow. Her memory is in every single place of this town. At school, at my house…on the sidewalk…in the park. Just stupid little things, stupid little places. She's there. It's like she's a ghost…haunting me. You know what, I'm going to go for a walk, ok?"

"At _this_ time of night? Luke, it's pitch black outside, at least let us come with you," Haley suggested softly. Nathan took her arm gently.

"Just let him go, he'll be okay, Hales."

Lucas looked at him gratefully, nodded to both of them, and walked out of the café, leaving Haley and Nathan looking after him, concerned. "We have to do something for him, Nathan. In all my life, I've never seen him so depressed. It scares me," Haley sighed. Nathan pulled her to him comfortingly and sighed.

"I know, it scares me too." A part of Nathan told him to tell Haley about the HCM, but he knew it was Lucas' job, not his.

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Lucas took a deep, grief-filled breath. His feet were leading him somewhere, and part of him knew where, but the other part couldn't seem to care. He just went with it, and let his heart guide him. Most of the time he could trust it. Most of the time.

When he finally stopped, Luke looked up, and a ghost of a smile crossed his lips. He was at the Rivercourt. He glanced around, and saw his basketball still lying on the corner of the court. Picking it up, he just looked at it for a long moment, before dribbling and shooting it. He realized as he caught the rebound just how relaxing basketball was for him.

A soft rustling made him look around him, but he didn't see anyone. After a moment, he turned back to the net and started shooting again. 

A figure stood in the shadows behind a tree, sighing in relief that they hadn't been seen. After waiting to be sure Lucas hadn't seen them, the person glanced around again and just watched him play.

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Sorry this was shorter than my usual chapters…but I wanted the next part in a fresh chapter, which will be coming soon!


	5. Chapter 5

Again, thank you all for the reviews! This is for you!

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**CHAPTER 5: **The Best…and Worst…Day of Her Life

Lucas felt an incredible sense of calm taking over him as he continued to shoot the ball at the basket. He knew now that he had no choice but to give up basketball. Now that his mother knew, she would _never_ let him risk his life for a game.

With a jolt of surprise, he felt his chest tighten so much that he could hardly breathe. The basketball slipped out of his grasp, and he fell to one knee, gasping. He told himself to take slow breaths as deep as he could, to calm himself down. After a few moments, the tightness began to ebb, and he could breathe properly again. He knelt where he was for a long time, his head in his hands, willing his heart to stop pounding.

The figure behind the tree gasped when she saw Lucas fall. It took all she had not to run to him, until she realized what was going on. He was having some sort of attack…from the HCM. The instant the thought crossed her mind, she ran to his side. "_Lucas!_ Lucas, can you hear me?" Tears began to fill her eyes as she watched him look up at her, his face as white as a sheet, and see his eyes grow wide in shock.

"Brooke…" he choked, a sob escaping his lips. She stroked his hair tenderly, and guided him down so he was lying with his head in her lap. "W-what are you…doing here?"

Brooke smiled gently, though fear gripped her heart. "Shh, there'll be more time for questions later. For now, you have to relax so you don't pass out on me." Her hands slid to his temples, where she ran her fingertips in light circles, and knowing that her idea was working when his eyes fluttered shut and he took a deep breath.

Once his breathing was regular and his heart stopped pounding, Brooke helped him sit up. "Why didn't you tell me you have HCM? You told us your results were negative!" She watched him expectantly, a demanding look on her face.

Lucas grimaced, then sighed. "I'm sorry…I didn't want anyone to worry…or treat me differently."

"Lucas…we are your _friends_. Who did you think would treat you differently? How did you think you'd be treated?" Brooke questioned softly, a part of her frustrated because he hadn't told her the truth.

"I know people would treat me like I'm glass. They already had when they found out I might have it…everyone here didn't let me play basketball…Nathan wouldn't let me play…and Haley…and…and-"

"And me?" Brooke finished for him, feeling her heart break at the despair in his eyes. She began to understand why he hid it from everyone.

"_Especially_ you! I realized I was still in love with you when this all started…you were the person I wanted_ least_ to treat me differently."

Brooke smiled half-heartedly at him, and caressed his cheek with the back of her hand. "Well, I have to treat you differently anyway…because I'm not with Felix anymore. And I came back for you. I'm here for good."

Lucas stared at her in shock, and then slowly let a smile creep onto his face. Brooke couldn't resist him when he smiled…so she did just what her heart was telling her to do: kiss him. He leaned into her embrace, and slid one hand into her hair. The other was supporting their balance. Both of her hands held his waist.

Lucas pulled back after a minute, breathless. Brooke immediately began apologizing, until Lucas silenced her with another quick yet lingering kiss. "You have no idea how happy I am right now. For the past week, I've been waiting to turn around and see you standing behind me, laughing at me for believing you'd leave. But you never did…until now."

Brooke smiled warmly, and stood. He gratefully accepted her hand when she offered it to him, and they began to walk to Lucas' house, even though it was dark. They walked in a comfortable silence, hands linked in a tender display of their affection.

As they neared the house, Lucas stopped walking. Brooke turned to him, part of her afraid that he would be having another attack. "What is it?" she questioned when she saw him staring at her, a curious look on his face.

"Where is your stuff?" he questioned softly. Brooke laughed, realizing that she'd forgotten to tell him that she'd already seen his mother.

"At your house already. I went there first to try and find you, and when I saw Nate and Haley, they told me you'd gone for a walk, so I kinda figured you'd be at the Rivercourt," she explained. She was about to speak again, until a cold drop of water hit her nose. She shook her head in surprise, and looked up. Just as she did, the skies opened up, and poured heavily on the couple.

"Come on, we can run, we're almost home!" Lucas called over the roar of water. Brooke grabbed his hand, and shook her rain-soaked head.

"No…it's a nice night…and I love rain." Se lifted her head to the skies again, and just let the rain wash over her. Lucas watched her for a long moment, before stepping forward and claiming her lips with his own. They stood for a long time, savoring the feeling of the other's lips on theirs.

By the time they reached the house, they were both drenched to the bone. Lucas guided Brooke to her new room, and left her to get changed while he did the same. After he was done, he went to her room and knocked lightly.

"Come in," she called. He hesitantly entered her room, and she gestured for him to join her on her bed. "I was so afraid I'd lost you when I saw you collapse in the Rivercourt. I wish you would've told me the truth. But I understand why you didn't."

Lucas took a deep breath, and laid down behind her, and she instinctively did the same, curling into his chest. "Why did you come back? You seemed so sure that you had to go…what changed your mind?"

Brooke was silent for a while as she thought. "I don't know…thinking about what you'd said…the fact that I do love you still, and realizing that I didn't want to live without you." She looked back at him, and smiled gently.

"I'm so glad you came back," he murmured. She smiled, staring into the depths of his piercing blue eyes, and feeling like he could see into the depths of her soul. 

"Luke…I…I know this will be hard…but can we keep this…us…a secret for a little while? The idea of me living with you won't go over well as it is…but us dating?" she sighed. "I'm sorry, but I just think it'd be best if we kept it quiet."

Lucas gave her a confused look. "What about Nate and Hales? They already know, it's obvious for them." He wanted to show the whole world how much he loved her…but why would she want to keep it a secret?

"They're fine…I trust them…but I don't want things to get any worse for you. I love you so much…I would hate to see you get grief because of me."

Lucas understood why she was asking this of him now, and he knew she wouldn't be happy unless he agreed. "Okay…if that's what you want to do…I'll try my best." They smiled at each other, until an idea popped in his head. "Hey, you wanna drive back to the café and get some coffee? We can talk for a while, just you and me."

Brooke smiled, and nodded. "Sure, lets go!"

Hand in hand, they made their way to the car that Andy had let Lucas borrow, and headed for the café. Lucas glanced over at Brooke a couple of times, unable to take his eyes off her for long. One time he looked at her, he saw her eyes grow wide as she stared at the road. Looking in the direction of her gaze, he jumped, but didn't have time for anything else. A truck hit them head on, connecting with Lucas' side of the car. He felt himself moving at the same time he felt the car come to a stop, and felt confused. What was going on? The last thing he heard before everything went dark was Brooke's distant, panicked and pained voice screaming his name.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: **Why?

Karen and Andy were sitting in the living room of her house and just relaxing when the phone rang. Karen jumped up and grabbed it before it went to voicemail. "Hello?" Andy watched her, concerned, as horror crossed her face. When she hung up, he ran to her side.

"What's wrong?"

"Lucas…and Brooke…they were in a car accident. Andy…I can't go through this again. I almost lost him before, I don't think I can go through it again," she sobbed. Andy pulled her close, letting her cry onto his shoulder.

"Are they at the hospital?" he questioned softly. Karen nodded, and Andy guided her outside, to her car. He'd known the instant she told him that it was his car Lucas and Brooke had been in, but Andy didn't care at the moment. All that mattered was that Lucas and Brooke were okay.

When they got there, two police officers greeted them at the door to Lucas and Brooke's room. Andy stepped forward to speak for Karen, knowing that she was in no state to do it herself. "Can you tell us what happened in the accident?"

The police officers glanced at each other, and then turned to Andy. "Are you his parents?" 

Karen nodded. "I'm Lucas' mother," she explained. Andy squeezed her hand comfortingly as she tried to get a glimpse of her son.

"Your son and the young woman were hit head on by a drunk driver. Your son was driving safely, if you were wondering about that. The truck veered over into their lane and he had no time to avoid a collision."

"Are they okay?" Andy questioned, getting anxious. The police officer sighed.

"The doctor is inside, he can tell you the rest. I'm sorry, sir, ma'am." 

As Karen and Andy were allowed to enter the room, she began to sob. Fear was gripping her heart as she looked at Brooke lying on a bed, unconscious. Lucas's bed was next to hers, but empty. "Where is my son?"

The doctor turned to her, and gave her a sad smile. "He is in the OR; he had some internal bleeding that they needed to repair. He was thrown from the car…his seatbelt was cut by a shard of glass on impact. His side of the car was hit the hardest…Miss Davis has some cuts and bruises, and fractured her arm. She should be okay once she wakes up. At the moment she's on some powerful pain medication that is keeping her unconscious, though she should be waking shortly. Your son should be out of operation soon."

Karen turned to Andy, despair and pain etched on her face. He hugged her tightly, too concerned to speak. "Tell me that it's all a joke…tell me it's a dream…please Andy…tell me it's not real," Karen pleaded. Andy didn't respond, only hugged her tighter.

They both heard a noise, and looked over to see Brooke starting to wake up. Karen ran over to her bedside, and took her good hand gently. "Brooke, Brooke can you hear me?"

"Karen?" Brooke murmured, giving a small groan of pain when she shifted around a little. "Where am I?"

Karen brushed some hair out of Brooke's face as the young woman opened her eyes a little. "You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Brooke was silent for a moment, her eyes squinting shut for a moment before she nodded. "Lucas…is…is he…" she couldn't finish the question as an incredible sense of dread filled her. Karen's eyes filled with tears.

"I don't know, sweetie…I don't know."

"Lucas is coming," Andy announced. Karen jumped to her feet as the nurses rolled the gurney in. Lucas was as still as can be, and pale as a sheet. "How is he?"

One of the nurses turned to Andy and Karen. "The operation went very well; the internal bleeding is all patched up…"

Karen waited anxiously for the woman to continue when she hesitated, and began to panic. "But?"

"But he has no brainwave activity. I'm sorry, ma'am, but he slipped into a coma during the operation."

Karen felt her knees go weak, and Andy had to support her so she didn't fall. He guided her to a chair, and knelt beside her. "I can't do this again…why Lucas? Why again? Damn it, why!" Her voice was strained by sobs, and she slumped into Andy's arms. He rubbed her back comfortingly.

His heart went out to his girlfriend, and it took all he had not to break down in tears, but he knew that he had to be strong for Karen. "It'll be okay…Lucas is strong. He'll fight it, he'll come back to us."

"K-Karen?" Brooke called, her voice tight with pain and soft with exhaustion. Karen looked over at her, and forced a smile. "I'm sorry…it was my fault…he was looking at me…and didn't…didn't have enough time to react…"

Karen shook her head sadly. "Oh, no, honey, it wasn't your fault. The officers said there wouldn't have been enough time to avoid it. It wasn't your fault. How…how are you feeling?"

"Better than Lucas is…oh God, I don't know what I'd do without him…I can't imagine how hard this is for you," she murmured, tears streaming down her face. Karen took her hand tightly.

"Don't worry about me, okay? I want you to focus on getting better…I hate seeing you in the hospital like this. And when you're out and better, we will make something special for Lucas just like you did last time, okay?"

Brooke managed a half-smile through her tears, though her mind was playing the last few seconds of the accident, when she watched Lucas' seatbelt fly off and him being thrown out the window, in a never-ending loop.


	7. Chapter 7

Me's sorry for being mean to Luke…but if there was no problem, where would the story be? I hate to say that it's going to get more complicated from here, so please bear with me. I hope you'll like it still! And thank you so much for your awesome reviews!

OOH! If anyone happened to see the episode from last week when It came on over the weekend, can you please tell me what happened at the very end? I saw up to where they were at the rivercourt and Luke was about to play with the guys, and then my VCR cut off there, so I don't know how much/what I missed. If you can help me out, I would greatly, greatly appreciate it! Thanks!  
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**CHAPTER 7: **New Med Student…

It took three days for Brooke to be well enough to leave the hospital. Nathan, Haley, Jake, Peyton, and even Felix all came to visit her several times, but could never stay long. She hated looking over and seeing the man she loved still unconscious, cuts all over his face and arms.

"Miss? You are allowed to leave now," a deep voice announced from the door. She looked up to see a handsome young man, who couldn't be more than three years older than her, standing in the doorway. His gaze scanned her body, making her slightly uncomfortable. She simply nodded, and sat up. "Is there someone that will help you get out of here?"

Brooke nodded. "Yes…they're on their way."

The young man smiled. "In that case, we could talk to pass the time," he offered. She saw a look in her eyes that bothered her. She could tell that he was interested in getting to know her better because he liked what he saw. She tried to decline, but he sat at the foot of her bed, and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Tyler, a med student here."

Brooke sighed, and shook his hand quickly. "Brooke. Uh…can you tell me how he's doing?" she questioned softly, gesturing towards Lucas. She tried to think of something else that could distract him until Nathan and Haley got there as he stood and checked on Lucas.

"There's no change. He your bother?" 

Brooke shook her head with a wry smile. "_No_…I…I don't know exactly what he is to me right now."

Tyler smiled. "In that case…since you're out of the hospital, would it be okay if I took you out sometime?"

Brooke hesitated. "I…but…he-"

"Great…I'll take you out to dinner tomorrow. Where do you live so I can pick you up?" he questioned, cutting off her objection forcefully.

"Well…I'll most likely be here with Lucas…," she informed. Brooke began to panic when she saw him about to continue. She couldn't go out with him…she would never do that to Lucas… "But I-"

"Brooke! Oh, it's so _great_ to see you sitting up…how are you doing?" Haley questioned enthusiastically, once again successfully cutting off her attempt at rejecting the med student in front of her. She sighed as Haley hugged her gently, careful of her broken wrist. 

"I've been better," she muttered. Her eyes traveled to Lucas, and she stood to walk up to his bedside. It was like everything had suddenly disappeared, save for her and him, lying still in his hospital bed. For a moment, she escaped Tyler, Haley, and Nathan completely, and just focused on Lucas.

Her trance was shattered when Tyler took her arm gently. "I'm taking her out to eat tomorrow," he told Haley. Nathan shot her a glare, and she gave him a look, pleading for his help. He nodded his understanding, but didn't speak. She then desperately turned to Haley, who was looking at her, shocked.

"W-well…that sounds like a good idea, get her out of the hospital for a while. Right, Brooke?" she asked with forced enthusiasm. Brooke looked over at Lucas, then down at the floor. "We have to go for now, though. We've got places to be."

Tyler nodded, and turned Brooke to face him. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Brooke."

She nodded feebly, then turned to Lucas, and bent down and kissed his cheek. She was the first to walk out, with Haley and Nathan close behind, all carrying her get-well presents. As he left the room, he sent Tyler a dangerous glare.

"Brooke, what the **hell** were you _thinking_! You are going on a date with him? How could you do that to _Lucas_! How-"

"Hales, give her a chance to explain," Nathan suggested softly. Haley scoffed, but fell silent as she continued to walk in step with Brooke and her husband.

"I tried to turn him down…but he seriously wouldn't let me get a word in…and then you two came in and I didn't get a chance to speak again. I don't know what I'm going to do…I _love_ Lucas."

Haley sighed, accepting her explanation. "Well…as long as you don't _kiss_ him, you'll be okay," she half-joked. Brooke couldn't help but chuckle. "But really…you love Lucas, so it won't be _too_ hard to keep this guy from going too far with anything, so you should be fine."

Brooke sighed and nodded. The rest of the ride back to Karen's was generally silent. Once she got there and Haley and Nathan left her with her gifts, Karen helped her settle into her new room and left her to rest.

-

The next day, Brooke spent the day with Haley at Lucas' side. They passed most of the time talking, about memories of Lucas, and about Brooke's leaving and returning again. When five rolled around, Brooke heard someone come in, and knew it was Tyler. She turned, and smiled half-heartedly at him.

"Now, I would've thought that you'd be out of the hospital for good after being able to leave yesterday."

Brooke's smile quickly faded from her face, and was replaced by a frown. "Lucas is still here…and as long as he's here, I'll be here too," she snapped. Tyler raised his hands in mock surrender, and then offered her his arm.

"Shall we?" he questioned. Brooke rolled her eyes a little, and gave Haley a final, defeated glance before Tyler tugged her out of the room. 

They ended up going to a burger place, where Brooke could easily pick up her food with one hand. For the first few minutes, they were silent. Brooke decided to break the silence, when it became too much for her. "So…what do you enjoy to do?"

"I love to help people, and meet women, and things like that. What about you?" Tyler questioned cheerfully. Brooke sighed. This was going to be a long night.

-

And it was a long night. They stayed in the burger place for two hours, Tyler talking most of the time. It was late before Brooke was back at Lucas' bedside, and Karen and Andy were there as well. She took Lucas' free hand, the one Karen wasn't holding, and just thought about how much she wanted him to wake up and save her from the grief she was feeling over his state. She needed him so much, she missed him, and she loved him more than she had ever realized. It killed her to see him like this.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8: Betrayal

When Brooke got to school a week after the accident, she almost wished she were in the state Lucas was in…almost. Everyone was giving her sideways glances and whispering behind their hands. She couldn't count the number of rumors that had been spreading around about her and Lucas…especially Lucas. Someone had even said he'd been killed. The thought made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.

"Brooke!" Peyton called, running up to her friend and hugging her tightly. "How are you doing? How's Lucas? And how's the arm?"

Brooke sighed, and looked at Peyton for a few seconds before speaking. She was the reason that Lucas wasn't with her anymore…at least hadn't been. When it had first happened, Brooke had felt like she'd never forget them for betraying her, but now…now Peyton was her best friend again, and Lucas was…well, she didn't quite know how to place him, other than lying in a coma at the moment. The thought brought tears to her eyes.

"I'm…managing I guess. My arm's fine, doesn't really hurt much. Luke…oh, God...Luke hasn't woken up yet and I feel so terrible. I feel like it was my fault," Brooke confessed, stopping and leaning back against the wall.

Peyton stopped also, feeling a great sense of sympathy for her best friend. Even though Brooke hadn't voiced it, Peyton could see in her eyes that she was still in love with him. When the two were together, there was a special light in her eyes, like nothing could bring her down. And the grief in her eyes showed how worried she was for him. Peyton was feeling much of the same thing for him, but nowhere near as much as Brooke seemed to be. "Why was it your fault? It was a drunk driver."

Brooke nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. Peyton wished there were some way to help her best friend…she never cried around other people.

"It was…but…Lucas had glanced at me for a second, and when he looked back it was too late." She started to break down in sobs, and Peyton hugged her tightly, tears filling her own eyes.

"Peyt!" a voice called softly from a little ways away. Brooke pulled away from Peyton, and forced a smile to Jake as he came up. "Hey, Brooke, how are you holding up?" His eyes were full of compassion and concern. Brooke simply shook her head, and another sob racked her body. He gave her a comforting hug, and kissed the top of her head tenderly. In the time that she'd been back and the group had been visiting with Lucas and just talking, he'd felt like he'd gained a sister in Brooke, and it broke his heart to see his friends in the states they were in. "You shouldn't be here, you should be with Luke…you're not ready to come back to school yet," he murmured. Brooke shook her head.

"I can't just watch him lie there, not again. Looking at him now just brings back memories of the last time I saw him in the hospital." When Brooke mentioned his previous accident, Peyton looked away guiltily. Brooke noticed. "Peyt, not that. I've long since forgotten about that…you both matter too much to me anymore." She sighed. "I can't look at him without thinking that it should have been me."

"Come on, let's go somewhere a little more private…screw class, this is more important," Peyton insisted, tugging on Brooke's arm.

The three of them found a very unknown corner of the school, and talked. Brooke was in tears the entire time, and Peyton began to cry later in their conversation. Jake was quiet throughout most of the conversation, just providing comforting hugs and nods. It hadn't really hit him how serious the situation was for Lucas until that conversation. He hadn't been able to go and visit his friend in the hospital, so he never really understood. But now that his girlfriend and good friend had skipped almost all of their classes with him to talk about Lucas and worrying over his well-being, it was starting to really hit home for him.

After school let out, the three of them headed over to the hospital to visit Lucas. Nathan and Haley were on their way, and Karen and Andy had already been there and were sitting with him when the trio entered. Tyler was in the room as well, and smiled when he saw Brooke walk in. "There's no change. Um…Brooke, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Brooke sighed heavily, glanced down at Lucas and let her hand brush against his, and then followed Tyler out the door. As she left, she glanced at Peyton pleadingly. "What?" she questioned impatiently, leaning back against the wall.

"Why do you like Lucas? I mean, he's lying in a bed with no brainwave activity…what's the appeal?" he questioned sarcastically. Brooke gave him a shocked and appalled look, but he continued. "I mean, he's the only thing standing between us."

Brooke scoffed. "Who the hell do you think you are! I like Lucas because of who he is when he is awake! And no, he's not the only thing standing between us. There are many things standing between us. Namely your cocky, arrogan attitude."

Tyler grinned. "You're sexy when you're angry."

Brooke fumed. "You son of a-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he cut her off with a rough kiss. Brooke tried to push him away, but he just pushed both of her arms against the wall. She heard a gasp, and tensed. With a grunt of struggle, she finally managed to shove him away, and turned.

Haley and Nathan were starting at them, disbelief and anger in their eyes. Nathan looked the most hurt, and Brooke guessed it was partly because of what he went through with Haley. "No…it's not-"

"Just save it, Brooke! How could you do that to Lucas!" Haley snapped, stomping up to her. Brooke shook her head, tears in her eyes. She turned to Tyler.

"You bastard! You…you…conniving…how-"

Tyler shrugged. "You said you weren't dating him, you agreed to go on that date, and you lead me on," he explained smugly. Brooke could see the lust in his eyes. She realized in that instant what he was trying to do…

She brought her hand back, and slapped him with as much force as she could muster. He stumbled from it, and then slowly turned back to her. "You stay the hell away from Lucas."

He laughed, and walked away without speaking. Brooke turned back to Haley, a pleading look in her eyes. Behind her, Nathan stood by Peyton, Jake, Karen and Andy. "Haley, please, just let me explain," she pleaded.

Haley scowled at her, and did what Brooke had done to Tyler: she slapped her. "You'd better stay the hell away from Lucas too."

Brooke stared at her in disbelief, and nodded sadly. "Okay…okay." She knew that no one would believe her right now, so she just walked away from them, sobs racking her body. It killed her that her friends thought that she would do something like that to Lucas, though Peyton and Jake didn't really know what had changed between them. She knew it would be a long time before Haley even considered speaking to her. Enough time, maybe, for Lucas to wake up, and hear what she'd 'done'. The thought made her cry harder, and as soon as she entered the empty elevator, her body seemed to collapse with grief, and she fell to her knees.


	9. Chapter 9

CHATPER 9: Just Let Me Explain!

Haley and Nathan stared at Brooke's retreating back for a long moment, in complete shock, and both beginning to regret what they'd done. They hadn't given her a chance to explain herself…the way she had reacted towards Tyler should have sent up some red flags for both of them.

"What've I done?" Haley whispered. Nathan glanced at her, and then ran after Brooke, hoping to catch her before she was gone. Haley turned to Peyton, tears in her eyes. "I just assumed…" She cursed herself for not even thinking before she reacted. For goodness sake, she'd done something much similar, and got angry with Nate for not letting her explain.

-------------

Nathan found the elevator, and saw its doors closing. With a final burst of speed, he lunged forward, and pushed the door back. He saw Brooke on the floor, her knees curled up under chin, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked up at him, and sighed. "It wasn't what you think," she insisted sadly, looking down at the floor again, then closing her eyes tight against more tears. He heard the defeat in her voice, and realized that she'd resigned to the fact that her friends didn't trust her and that she probably wouldn't get to see the man she loved for a long time.

"Then what was it?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and stepping into the elevator. She looked back up at him in shock. "We were quick to judge, we didn't give you a chance to explain. What really happened?" He knelt down to her level while he waited for her explanation.

Brooke smiled half-heartedly, and sighed. "I was actually in the process of telling him off…he was asking me why I liked a guy that was lying in a coma…and just being a jackass. So I snapped at him, and he told me that I was sexy when I'm angry. I couldn't even call him an SOB before he kissed me. I couldn't push him away…I tried but with one arm I wasn't strong enough, but when I heard Haley gasp, I managed to get him away from me. When Haley told me to stay away from Lucas…I didn't…I don't…know what to do. I love Lucas more than anything…I came back here from California to live with him, damn it! I could never even think of being with someone else."

Nathan nodded, and pulled Brooke to him, rubbing her back comfortingly when she started to sob. "I'm so sorry, we shouldn't have assumed like that." He slowly brought her to arm's length. "Come on, let's go back and talk to Hales." He helped her to her feet, and then turned to the button panel.

It only took them a few stops to get to the right floor, and when they did, Haley was waiting for them impatiently. She looked at Nathan first. "It was him," he stated simply. Haley didn't even need to ask her husband what he meant, she just threw her arms around Brookes neck, tears falling from her eyes.

"Brooke, I am so sorry…I can't believe I judged you, especially after what I did before…can you forgive me?" Brooke pulled away and nodded, a smile on her features, and they hugged again for a long time. "Okay, we should get back to the room, the others are waiting to hear what's going on."

The three of them entered the room silently, and Brooke took her seat next to Lucas, and just looked at him for a long time. She couldn't hear Nathan explaining what happened. All she could hear was the faint beep of the heart monitor, and Lucas' slow breathing.

Nathan watched Brooke as he spoke, and decided what he had to do. When he was done talking, he leaned down and whispered something in Haley's ear, then walked out of the room. He went in search for Tyler, and found him quickly looking at a board behind a service desk. "Tyler?"

Tyler turned, and smiled at Nathan. He came around to face Nathan. "Hey, man, she lead me on, I thought she was into me," he insisted smugly.

Nathan growled low in his throat for a second. "That's bull. She gave no sign of being interested in you, you bastard, and you know it." Nathan punched Tyler hard in the jaw so fast that Tyler didn't even see it coming. "You stay the hell away from Brooke, Lucas, and me, or I won't be so nice next time."

Nathan walked away before Tyler could realize everything that had just happened, and called security. He was soon back in the room and standing by Haley, who was watching Lucas silently by the bed. Peyton and Jake were sitting in chairs nearby, tense and waiting. Brooke looked up when Nathan came back in.

"He shouldn't bother you again," he explained. Brooke gave him a half-grin, and shook her head.

"Thanks Nate, glad to know you're there for me."

"Always, Brooke." They both smiled, and Haley grinned as well. Now, the only thing that they needed was for Lucas to wake up, and things would be all right again.

"What did the doctor say when he came in here earlier?" Brooke asked Karen, almost inaudibly. Karen took a deep breath, and Andy squeezed her hand for support.

"He said that this could go either way…it all depends on what Lucas wants. He can decide to stay with us, or he can decide to move on. Right now, he's teetering between both of those. It's all in his hands now."

After that was said, a sense of uncertainty filled the room, and no one said a word for a very long time


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10: Memories…

It took another week for Brooke to finally get the chance to see Lucas on her own. Nathan, Haley, Peyton and Jake were all at school, though they had visited during their lunch period, and Karen and Andy were working at the café together to keep busy. Brooke had skipped school that day to just spend the day with Lucas.

The doctor had told her that morning that Lucas could wake at any time. His condition was improving every day, and at this point, it was whenever he wanted to wake up. Brooke sat by his side faithfully, holding his hand, and humming an old song that she'd fallen in love with when she saw the Phantom of the Opera: "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again". Even though the song was really about the young woman missing her father, the single line that made up the title seemed to be the only one that described how she was feeling. She never stopped praying for him to wake up…to come back to her. They'd never gotten the chance for things to really be worked out between them, and she wanted to so badly it hurt.

Brooke's mind traveled back to the day of the accident, a little over two weeks ago. Her day had gone from good to terrible first when she watched Lucas collapse on the basketball court. A part of her was angry with him for not telling her the truth about his heart condition, but here was another part that understood what he had been thinking. He had been afraid that he would be treated different, which would be the truth once people found out. He would no longer be able to play basketball, the thing he loved to do the most.

"Wishing you were somehow here again," she sang softly, reaching forward to gently stroke some of Lucas' hair back. She sighed. "Broody, I need you here with me…please come back. I miss you so much."

Numbly, she began to pick at the cast on her wrist, which was set to come off in one more week. She wondered every night why she only ended up with a broken arm and some bruises, when Lucas had ended up with a head injury, internal bleeding, and major cuts and scrapes from being thrown from the car. Why did he have to be in a coma for two weeks so far? What had he ever done so wrong that he was given this much trouble in his life? Lucas was one of the most compassionate, caring people he had ever met…he didn't deserve any of this. Tears filled Brooke's eyes, and she brought Lucas' hand to her cheek to get some comfort out of the warmth radiating from his skin.

A shadow darkened the wall in front of her, telling her that someone was in the doorway. When she turned, she was that it was Tyler. "You just don't give up, do you? Get the hell out."

Tyler chuckled. "For one, this is my patient. For two, we're not done yet. It's only a matter of time before you fall for me. Mark my words."

"Consider them marked," Brooke snapped. "Now get the hell out of here before I call security. You're not caring for Lucas anymore."

"Ah, but see, I am. He's my final patient before I can graduate from med school…he's my long-term patient. They won't transfer me if I tell them that I need to stay on this assignment."

Brooke was fuming as Tyler walked out. He was such a self-righteous, arrogant jerk…there had to be some way to get rid of him. She'd have to talk to Peyton, and figure out what to do.

Brooke was jerked from her thoughts when she felt a tiny twitch against her hand. Looking down in shock, she saw Lucas' eyes fluttering open. She watched in awe as he blinked against the bright lights, and tried to adjust to what was around him. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the person holding his hand. "B-Brooke? What…happened?" he questioned in a gravelly, barely inaudible voice. Brooke let Lucas' hand go, turned around, and grabbed the glass of water next to his bed. He gratefully allowed her to pour some of the cool liquid into his mouth, though a look of pain crossed his handsome features when he swallowed.

"You don't remember the accident?" she inquired in a soothing voice. On the outside she looked very calm and compassionate, but on the inside she was ecstatic that Lucas finally came back to her. She hadn't realized how much she missed his gorgeous blue eyes until his gaze locked on hers. A small pang of dread filled her when he shook his head slowly.

"How…how long ago?"

Brooke stroked the back of his hand comfortingly. "A little over two weeks."

"Brooke, what are you…doing here?" Lucas asked, confusion written all over his tired face. Brooke's expression matched his.

"What do you mean, Luke? Where else would I be?"

"D-does…Felix know you're here? And why aren't you in California?"


	11. Chapter 11

((sorry about the long wait!))

CHAPTER 11: I'm Nobody Alone

Brooke stared at him in shock. This couldn't mean what she thought it did...could it? But why would this happen to him, after all he'd already been through. "Felix? California? Lucas, what are you talking about?"

Lucas coughed a little before he could speak. "You told me at Keith's almost-wedding that your dad had gotten a job in California. If that was two weeks ago-"

"Luke...the accident was two weeks ago, the wedding was four...you can't remember anything after the wedding?"

Lucas watched her, and shook his head. "I...no, Brooke...I don't...I'm sorry." He watched her with sadness in his eyes, and despair. He was trying to remember something...anything...but he couldn't. The last thing he remembered was driving home from the wedding...then he remembered waking up in the hospital. But his memories didn't connect, he could remember getting out of the car fine...but then Brooke claims there was an accident...and her arm was in a cast. "Were...were you in the car too?"

When Brooke looked up at him again, she had tears slipping down her cheeks, and she nodded. Even though Lucas couldn't remember the month that had passed and the things that were now making Brooke cry, he still remembered the way he'd felt about her before all of that happened. He hated to see her cry because of him. "C'mere," he murmured, pulling her clsoe to him in a gentle hug.

Brooke could feelthe weakness in his arms, which made her cry even harder. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry this all had to happen to you," she sobbed.

"Shh...I'm here now, Cheery." Lucas replied soothingly. For a second, Brooke thought he'd remembered, but her heart told her that he hadn't.

"Lucas!" Haley cried from behind them. Brooke pulled away and turned to see Haly and Nathan standing in the doorway. She stood slowly, and then turned for a minute back to Lucas. "I'll be back later...I'm sorry I have to go," she whispered. As she walked out of the room, she tuggd Haley and Nathan just outside the door. "He can't remember..." she sobbed.

Haley and Nathan gave her shocked looks. "W-what do you mean, he can't remember!" Haley questioned, fear gripping her heart. She saw the pain in Brooke's eyes and knew she was telling the truth.

"He...he can't remember anything past the wedding." Brooke leaned back against the wall, her head back against the wall as well. Haley turned to look at Nathan, and he pulled her to him in support. "He...he asked me if Felix knew that I was with him...and why I wasn't in California. I can't stay here...he doesn't remember that we're together...I can't," Brooke muttered, shaking her head. Nathan nodded, and squeezed her shoulder.

"Just call if you need anything, okay? I'll come and get you if anything changes."

Brooke nodded, and walked away. Tears were falling down her face endlessly as she walked away from the man she loved...even though he didn't remember it. She made her way to Karen's house, and called her nae frantically. She was beginning to panic...Lucas really didn't remember their confessing their love for each other...he didn't remember her finding out about the HCM, he didn't remember her coming back to be with him. It was all gone.

"Brooke, what's wrong? Sweetheart, it's okay...come here," Karen insisted gently, hugging Brooke as she sobbed. Andy watched this in silence, worried about what could have caused Brooke to break down like she was.

"Lucas is awake," Brooke began. Karen gasped and pulled back to look into Brooke's eyes, confused as to why she would be so upset. "But...but he can't remember...anything...after the wedding." She sobbed into Karen's shoulder when the older woman hugged her again. "I couldn't bear to be there anymore, knowing he doesn't remember."

"Shh, shh, it's okay...I understand. Are you going to stay here for a little while?"

Brooke shook her head. "No...I think I'm going to go for a walk. Tell Lucas I said I'm sorry, will you please?" Karen nodded, and Brooke headed back outside. She walked for what seemed like hours, just thinking about Lucas and how she could possibly get him to remember what had happened. She realized that she was nobody alone...she was nobody without him.

Squealing tires and a blaring horn made her look up, and see that a car was coming at her...and she knew the driver. She was frozen with fear, until the car came to a stop against her legs. She breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to walk, trying to get away from the driver as soon as possibe.

"Brooke, wait!" Tyler called, jumping out of his car and running after her. She ignored him, so he grabbed her arm...her casted arm. Brooke winced, and spun to face him, and grabbed his arm to pull him off of her.

"What do you want?" she snapped. Tyler followed her as she walked to the other side of the street. She subconsciously noted that they were close to the hospital. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

Tyler pushed her back against the wall of a random store, and kissed her jaw. "Get off of me!" Brooke cried. Tyler jsut smiled, until someone tapped his soulder from behind him. He turned in curiosity, and was met with a fist to the face.

"I beleive the lady asked you to get off of her. And if you don't stay the hell away from her, you'll regret it for a very long time, I promise you that." Tyler growled in frustration, ad looked at Brooke from the ground. "Your loss."

Brooke didn't even see him leave...her complete attention was locked on the man before her. "Lucas...what are you doing out of the hospital? How-"

Lucas cut her off with a gentle, lingering kiss. Brooke was shocked, and concerned at the same time. When they finally pulled away, Brooke held Lucas' arms as he swayed a little. He laughed a little at himself, but then started humming 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again'. Brooke gasped. "You remembered!"

"I could never forget you for long...but I'm so sorry I did at all. I love you, Brooke."

She smiled, and gave him a tender kiss, before she pulled away and smakced his arm lightly with her good hand. "Now let's get you back at the hospital before you pass out on me." So they walked back to the hospital together, Lucas leaning on her for support, and Brooke ecstatic that Lucas' memory was back...and that he'd come and saved her from Tyler. Things were defenitely going better...


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12:** Coming Home...

When Brooke and Lucas finally got back to the room, Haley looked at them, and smacked Lucas on the arm. "Where have you been! Why the hell are you out of your bed? Lucas, you_ just _woke up from being in a coma for two weeks, you had surgery, _and_ you had a head injury! Are you _crazy_? You-"

"Hales..._Hales_, I think he gets the picture. Luke, I would strongly advise getting in bed and pretending to be asleep before she strangles you," Nathan suggested jokingly. Lucas nodded, and obediently climbed into the hospital bed. Peyton hugged Brooke tightly, giving her best friend any support that she might need at that moment.

Karen walked over to him, and smiled down at him. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" 

"Tired. I'm sorry I scared you Hales, but after I remembered everything, I just felt liek I had to go find Brooke. And it's a good thing I did, too." Lucas looked over at Brooke, and reached out for her hand. She took it, and bent down to kiss his. 

"_Why_, what happened?" Nathan questioned, looking at Brooke. He had a feeling he knew what was going on, but he didn't want to assume.

Brooke rolled her eyes at the memory. "Tyler was harassing me...but Lucas came, just like the hero he is for me, got him off of me and punched Tyler. Of course, then I had to keep him from losing his balance when he became dizzy, and had to help him back here." She looked lovingly at Lucas, and stroked his hand and wrist gently. "But now, Luke, you look so tired and pale...get some rest. I love you."

"I love you too. And I love you too, mom, Hales...oh I love you all!" he said as loudly as he could, which seemed like almost a whisper to the others in the room. Brooke squeezed his hand, then leaned down to place a tender kiss on his lips. He intertwined his fingers with hers, not wanting the moment to end. He'd missed the feeling he got then they kissed...the sense of complete connection to her, like everything else vanished and that they understood each other perfectly.

"Okay, I thought he was supposed to be going to sleep?"

Brooke and Lucas both reluctantly drew away, and Brooke backed away in order to keep herself from feeling the need to kiss him again. She couldn't help it...she was so hapyp that he was awake and that he remembered...it was hard to stop herself from wanting to be near him. 

Karen kissed her son's forehead tenderly, and told him that they'd be back soon. Brooke looked at her confused when she heard that, and Karen chuckled. "If we're in here, he'll never get any sleep. We're going to go get some lunch, and we'll be back in a few hours," she explained. Brooke nodded in understanding.

"Bye, baby...I'll be back soon," Brooke murmured, and was the first out of the room, knowing that if she waited, she'd never be able to go. She heard Nate, Haley, Peyton, Jake, Andy and his mother say their goodbyes as well, and they joined her a few seconds later. "I have a question...how'd you get him to remember?"

Her friends all looked at each other, and shrugged simultaniously. It was Jake who spoke: "We were talking to him...and Haley said 'we were wishing you were awake' when he got a confused look on his face. It was right after that when he told us that he remembered everything."

"They say sometimes it's a random word or phrase that can trigger their memories again," Andy explained. Brooke smiled.

"The phrase was 'wishing you were somehow here again'. That's the one that must have triggered his memory...I had been singing that to him. So...Karen...what are we doing right now?" she questioned softly, unable to wipe the giddy smile from her face.

"We are going to go eat lunch first," Karen stated simply. Brooke giggled, and Nathan looked at her like she was nuts.

"Sorry...I can't help it. I'm just so_ happy_ right now." She gasped when an idea hit her. "Oh! What if we go and decorate the house with welcome home stuff? He'd love that...oh...we could-"

Nathan glanced over at Haley, a bemused look on his face. "It's love," they stated at the same time. The others started to laugh...while Brooke was off in her own little world, rattling off things she wanted to put in the decorations.

"It's about damn time, too," Jake sighed. Peyton squeezed his hand as she laughed, and the seven of them made their way to Karen's to start planning. Brooke had to step back for a moment and just smile while Jake, Nathan and Andy were putting up a banner that Peyton had drawn from ideas everyone had. Everything was going to be perfect.

-

It took about three days for Lucas to be ready to go home. He had been specifically ordered to stay in bed or sitting down...he was to be on his feet as little as possible for another week or so until he was completely recuperated. Brooke and Nathan helped him walk while the others carried the gifts Lucas had recieved over the previous three weeks.

When they reached the house, Lucas could tell something was up. Everyone was glancing between one another, and Brooke seemed anxious. He simply figured it was her being excited that he was able to go home.

"_SURPRISE_!" a few scattered voices yelled as soon as the front door opened. Lucas grinned, and shook his head. Mouth, Skills, Anna, and Tim were standing in the foyer, underneath a banner that said "Welcome home, Luke" and had pictures scattered over it.

Brooke turned to him, and kissed him tenderly. "Welcome home, baby. I'm so glad you're better."

He took his turns hugging everyone in the room, before Brooke and Nathan helped him to the couch to relax. Brooke sat next to him, and he leaned against her with his fingers intertwined with hers. His friends and parents sat around them, and the group talked for hours.

"Hey, everyone...is it okay if I have a few mintues with Brooke? I need to talk to her alone," Lucas requested politely.

Haley was the first to respond, and jumped up immediately. "Of course...come on guys, lets get some food."

In a few moments, Lucas and Brooke were sitting alone. Lucas was just looking at Brooke and smiling, though she felt more like he was looking into her soul, rather than just at her. "Is everything okay, Lucas?" she asked softly.

His response wasn't verbal. He lifted her chin with one finger, and kissed her very lightly. Brooke's breath escaped her, and her heart started to pound. The moment just felt so perfect that it almost made her heart ache. She leaned forward a little, kissing him back.

When they pulled away from each other, their eyes locked and nothing was said for a long time. They were both staring at the other, and seeing the love reflecting back at them. They felt like nothing else mattered in the world...they could do anything if they could go through what they'd been through in the past month.

"Thank you," Lucas finally murmured. Brooke smiled.

"For what?"

"For bringing me back. For Loving me...for being you. For everything."

Tears filled Brooke's eyes, and she threw her arms around his neck, careful not to hit him with her cast, and sobbed into his shoulder. "Just promise me you'll _never_ scare me like that again?"

Lucas stroked her hair comfortingly. "I promise. I'll always be here."


	13. Chapter 13

You guys rock! Thank you so much! Don't worry, there's still 5 chapters to come. Thank you guys for your amazing reviews...and 14 thousand hits! you all rock so much!

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**CHAPTER…uhh…13!** Rest, and Returning to School

By the time everyone had left except for Nathan, Haley, Peyton and Jake, Lucas was fighting sleep as hard as he could. Brooke glanced at Karen with a look that said _'what does he think he's trying to pull'_, and turned to her beau. "You need to get some sleep."

"I'm _fine_, Brooke," he insisted in the middle of a yawn. Brooke couldn't help but giggle…he was so adorable when he was tired. She knelt down so that she was eye-level with him. "Lucas Eugene Scott, I will tell _everyone_ your secret if you don't go to sleep." As soon as the words came out, she wished she could take them back. She hadn't even thought about what 'secret' she had against him…but his eyes reminded her instantly. The only real secret that he had was the heart condition.

"Fine," he snapped, hurt and angry. He felt a little betrayed…he may not have asked her not to say anything to anyone, but it just seemed to go without saying. Yet she threatened to tell the ones he cared about most, none of which had any clue that what he had told them hadn't been the truth.

"Luke-"

"Just forget it, Brooke. I'm going to go upstairs," Luke muttered, cutting her off. He pushed himself up to his feet, but regretted it an instant later as he swayed from dizziness. Nathan caught him before he could lose his balance.

"_Easy_, bro. There's no way you're going to make it up those stairs alone. Why don't you just go to the living room?"

Brooke stepped forward. "My temporary room is down here…he can stay there till he can walk on his own," she whispered, angry with herself for hurting Lucas. He had enough to deal with, without her telling him she'd tell everyone about his HCM. She watched from a distance as Jake and Nathan helped Lucas get to her room, and then slowly followed once they had him laid down. Once the other two had left the room after glancing back to Brooke then to each other, she shut the door quietly behind her.

"Brooke, I don't want to talk," Lucas insisted half-heartedly. His hand was over his eyes, but she could sense the hurt still in his voice easily, and it broke her heart all over again.

"You don't have to…but please...just listen." She sat down on his bed carefully, and he looked up at her. When their gazes met, she was unable to speak for a long time. It was as if he had a hold on her, keeping her words inside of her…and reading her soul at the same time. Finally she took a deep breath and tried to explain. "I'm so sorry for what I said, Lucas…it was thoughtless of me. I didn't even realize what I was saying until it was out…hell, I hadn't even thought about the 'secret' I would've told them. But I promise you I will never tell anyone…_that_ secret. But _damn it_, Lucas, _you_ should. They deserve to know. They love you too…what would happen if something happened to you? Please…_please_ tell them the truth."

Lucas was silent for a long time, before he gestured for Brooke to lean down. As she did, he wrapped his arms around her, and she was shocked to feel him sob. "Brooke…I'm scared…what're we going to do?"

"I don't know, Broody…but I won't let you go it alone. I'll be here every step of the way, you hear me?" Brooke questioned, pulling back and staring into his gorgeous blue eyes once more. He gave her a knee weakening half-smile, and nodded. He tried to suppress a yawn, but his face showed just how exhausted he was. "Now you get some sleep. I love you."

"I love you too, Cheery," Lucas responded. When Brooke moved to stand, he tightened his grip on her waist. "Lay with me?"

Brooke was only partly surprised, but agreed nonetheless. She slid down next to him on the queen-sized bed, and he let an arm slide around her waist. Within seconds, Lucas was asleep, and Brooke soon realized how much the past month had taken out of her, more specifically the last two weeks, and was also drifting into a peaceful rest. Her last thought was wondering how people would react when she didn't come out of the room.

-

The next morning, Haley and Nathan came to pick Brooke up for school. They found her wide-awake in the kitchen, speaking animatedly with Karen. She smiled when she turned to the couple, her eyes bright and her face glowing.

"Wow…someone seems…_cheery_ today. Something happen while we were gone?" Haley questioned jokingly, ducking to avoid a projectile grape that was headed in her direction.

"_Nothing_ happened…I'm just so relieved that Lucas is okay…and remembers that we're together again. Now…you two promise that you won't tell anyone that we're together, _right_?" Nathan and Haley nodded, and Brooke grinned. "Thank you. For now, we're just kind of going to keep it quiet…We may go to the point of not talking in public, or acting like we hate each other…for one just to see everyone's reaction…and for two to keep the rumors down once word gets out that we're living in the same house."

Haley giggled at the thought, and Nathan shook his head. He wondered how long that would last…saying as just looking at them when they were in the same room, anyone could tell how much they adored each other. "Well, Miss Bubbly, let's get to school before you decide to play hooky with Lucas, though Karen probably wouldn't allow it," he teased, stealing a glance at Karen. She laughed, and shook her head.

The three of them were out the door and at school within fifteen minutes. Peyton and Jake met them, hand in hand, at the front door, and the two couples and Brooke made their way into the building.

Brooke braced for the rumors to come to her. After her last experience, she was a little wary. Hearing anymore of 'Lucas died' might send her into another breakdown. Even though she knew it wasn't true, it still terrified her. What if something went wrong, and that came true?

-

_"Brooke! Brooke! How have you been? What happened? Is Lucas okay?"_

Those were things that Brooke had heard all day at school. It was like she couldn't avoid anyone…even when Nathan, Haley, Jake, and Peyton tried to shoo them away…they just kept coming.

By the time everyone got home, Brooke was ready to collapse into bed. It was going to take her a while to regain all of her energy; no matter how 'bubbly' she was in the morning. It was only a few hours before she felt like she didn't want to do anything, and a headache had begun to form.

"How'd your first day back go?" Karen asked softly. By just looking at the young woman, she could see that it hadn't gone well.

"No one would leave me alone for a second…everyone was asking me what had happened…asking me how Lucas got so hurt and I only got a broken wrist." Tears started to form in her eyes as she thought about what people had been saying to her. Karen immediately pulled her close, giving her a shoulder to cry on. Brooke's tears fell without resistance after that. "I don't want to remember the accident…I don't want to remember how he got so hurt…I don't want to think about how he almost left us…but they won't let me be."

"Oh honey, it'll be okay…I promise everything'll be okay," Karen soothed. She saw Lucas come into the kitchen, using the wall for support, and pulled away from Brooke.

"What's wrong, Cheery?" he questioned affectionately. Brooke turned to him, and made her way over to him. Taking his hand, she guided him to the couch just as much as he guided her. He brushed the tears from her cheeks as soon as they were seated on the couch. "Don't cry, baby. Everything's okay now…everything's okay." He pulled her tight, an over-protectiveness taking over.

"I was so afraid…I was scared I was going to lose you…and I kept remembering the accident from last year…how hard it was to watch you lie there, unconscious. But this time, it was different…I was more worried…I…I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you."

"Hey..." Lucas pulled back, and gently held her jaw. "I'm not going anywhere. I love you too much to leave you." He hesitated. "I…I know it already pretty much seems like it goes without saying right now…but would you be my…_official_…girlfriend?"

Brooke grinned widely, and nodded…even though the gesture seemed so small, it meant a lot to her. She kissed him with all her might, and then slowly pulled away and settled back onto his chest, where they both relaxed until they drifted into sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the awesome reviews! Here's chapter 14

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**CHPATER 14: **Just a Slap in the Face

Lucas fought daily with his mother to go to school with Brooke, and it was a week before she finally saw him fit enough to go. He had to promise her that he would be calm and careful, and that he would call if anything at all went wrong. By the time the couple actually got out of the house and into Nathan's car, they were running fifteen minutes late.

"Please don't tell me that you two were preoccupied?" Nathan questioned hesitantly. Lucas and Brooke both laughed, and shook their heads.

"No…my mother wouldn't let me leave the house without her giving me a whole long talk about how I need to be careful and avoid getting bumped into and all of that good stuff," he explained, getting a giggle out of Haley.

The four made it to school just in time for homeroom to be over, so it didn't seem like they were late. Before he got out of the car, Lucas turned to Brooke. "Remember, we're supposed to hate each other."

Brooke nodded, and climbed out, a disgusted look on her face, and stormed away. Lucas shook his head in amusement…she was quick. He got out of the car as well, and stared at her retreating form. "Bro, you _kinda_ need to stop staring if you want to look like you hate her," Nathan muttered under his breath. Lucas shook himself out of his daze, nodded, and put on his famous broody look.

"Whatever, I don't know what the hell _her_ problem is, I'll catch you guys later, ok?" Lucas mumbled, making his way to his first block class. Haley sent Nathan a glance that said '_oh boy, they're really getting into it,_' and jogged after Lucas, as they had first block together.

"Luke! Lucas, wait up! Remember me, your best friend? I get that you're pissed off at Brooke, but that doesn't mean you have to forget about me!" she called, playing along with their little façade. Lucas stopped and turned to her, and she saw him laughing. "What is so funny?"

"I don't know…this is just kinda fun. We're going to have to think up some kind of argument or something so that our stories match. But this could prove interesting." He thought about how hard it would be to ignore the desire to hold her…it was hard enough not to pull her against his chest and just keep her there on a normal day…but when they were acting like they hated each other? It would me so much harder.

Haley shook her head. "Why, again, are you doing this?"

"Because people will start talking about us living together, and Brooke doesn't want my rep to be hurt and I don't want hers to be either, so we're going to do this for a while. Just till something else comes along for people to gossip about."

The bell ringing brought the two friends back to the real world, where they found that they were at their class. Lucas took a deep breath to brace himself, Haley rubbed his back to show that she was there for him, and they entered. Immediately everyone in the classroom came up to them, and started asking him questions. Lucas smiled nervously, but never got the chance to speak with all of the questions.

Haley looked around at all of the people. She was getting uncomfortable herself…and all of the attention was on Lucas. Once glance at her best friend told her that he was even worse off than her, so she spoke up. "Excuse me! Everyone _back off_! He'll answer the questions you have later. Not today."

When people started to begrudgingly file back to their seats, Lucas shot her a grateful glance, and she guided him to a seat. His face was pale, and he seemed to be in pain. "You okay, Luke?"

He nodded. "Just a little sore, that's all…I have to get used to all of this again."

"Just take it easy today," Haley ordered softly. She kissed his forehead, and sat down behind him, glaring at their classmates, who were whispering and stealing glances at them. This was going to be a long morning.

-

By lunchtime, Lucas was looking worn-out and ready to fall asleep. Nathan and Haley arrived together, sitting at the same table as Lucas. As soon as Luke caught sight of Brooke, he had an idea. Leaning in towards Nathan's ear, he muttered, "I'm going to start to leave…when Brooke comes over, tell her to stop me."

Nathan nodded, and Haley looked up and waved Brooke over. Lucas immediately fell into his 'role' and gave her an incredulous look. He rolled his eyes, scoffed at her, and pushed himself to his feet. A sudden dizziness washed over him, and he had to close his eyes for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, Nathan and Haley were watching him warily, ready to help him if he needed it. "You okay, bro?"

"Yeah…just a little tired from all of this. I'll talk to you guys later, ok?"

They both nodded, and Lucas turned around…almost walking into Brooke. Without meeting her eyes, he pushed past her, and headed for the door. Within a few seconds, he could hear Brooke's 'angry' voice calling his name. When he turned around and saw her coming towards him, he also noticed everyone else watching them in silence. Felix sat directly behind where Brooke was standing, and was smirking at him.

"Why the hell do you have to be so arrogant? What, is it 'oh, let her think I love her and get her to leave her boyfriend, then just act like she's not even there'? Is _that _how it is!" Brooke snapped at him, her face inches from his own. He had to resist the urge to kiss her…as well as the urge to laugh. One almost escaped from his lips, but before it could, he made it as sarcastic and humorless as possible.

"Oh, yes, my life is all about breaking Brooke Davis' heart. If you want your boyfriend back so much, why don't you go get him? It's not like I could ever get you to stay around anyway…I was never enough!" With each word, his voice rose. It was hard to say what he was yelling at her, knowing that they could've been true because of something he'd done. He hoped she knew that he didn't mean any of it…

She stared at him, disbelief on her face, before she drew back her hand and slapped him across his cheek. He was surprised by the action. _She's really getting into this…and **damn**, that hurt,_ he thought to himself. "I loved you! I opened up completely to you, and you just acted like I was nothing!"

Lucas just stared into her eyes, and saw the quick flash of apology in her eyes. He almost smiled, and realized that he hoped he was never really on the receiving end of her wrath…it could be scary…and heartbreaking. Their gazes held, fire in both of their eyes, for a good minute before Lucas turned around and walked out of the school. He heard Nathan and Haley call after him, but he just 'ignored' them. Lucas climbed into Nathan's car and drove away, knowing he'd just have to come back at the end of the day to pick everyone up…even Brooke.

It was going to be hard, acting angry with her all the time…


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15:** Breaking the News

Brooke had returned to Nathan and Haley concerned and slightly guilty. "Oh I hope I didn't hurt him…I hit him really hard," she murmured quietly. Haley giggled, and Nathan patted her hand comfortingly.

"He's tough…you of all people know that, look at all he's been through. And he loves you, so I'm sure it didn't phase him," he assured. Haley agreed, and Brooke felt just a little better.

As soon as she got home that afternoon, by way of Andy, Brooke ran to her room, only to find it empty. Slightly discouraged, she looked around the entire bottom floor. Concern filled her. Where was he? Karen and Andy had gone out, so she couldn't get their help with looking for him…

"Everything okay, Cheery?" Lucas questioned behind her in a low voice. She jumped in surprise, and turned around to find him standing in the doorway. She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. "I'm glad you're home too," he laughed.

"I'm so sorry that I hit you so hard, Broody," she whispered, being careful not to squeeze too hard. He guided her to her bedroom, and shut her door.

"Brooke, it's okay. You can only seriously hurt me in one way, and that's if you ever left me…I don't know if I could handle being without you again."

Lucas' piercing blue eyes gazed lovingly into hers, and she got the familiar feeling that he was looking right into her soul. Whenever they had these moments, she felt like no one understood her, the way Lucas did, which was pretty much true anyway. He always knew when something was wrong, and he always had the right thing to say.

Brooke smiled, and Lucas found himself falling in love with those adorable dimples all over again. She seemed so perfect to him, and he was so happy that she had given him another chance to prove that there was no one else in the world for him.

"You don't have to worry about any of that…I'm not leaving you, and I won't let you leave me either. I love you, Lucas Scott." After she finished speaking, Brooke leaned forward and kissed him gently. "You know, I'm not going to be able to keep up the pretense of hating you for long. It was hard enough today. And never scare me like that again, ok! When I saw you stand up and close your eyes, my heart skipped a beat."

Lucas gave her a sympathetic, loving look. "I'm sorry, baby. Hey, why don't we go get some coffee? We never got there last time."

Brooke shook her head vigorously. "Uh uh, not after last time…I won't be able to enjoy myself thinking about what happened," she insisted sadly.

Lucas gave her a quick kiss to let her know that he was still there, and that he was okay. "We can walk…it's a little chilly but that's nothing a scarf and gloves can't handle. C'mon," he urged, offering his hand to her as he stood. She took it with a sigh, and they let their hands fit together easily. It wasn't even something either of them thought about…it was just something that happened for them.

They walked to the Café in comfortable silence, and Lucas opened the door for her. Karen looked up as they walked in, and grinned. Already knowing what they both wanted, she turned and prepared their orders. Lucas and Brooke made their way to the back room to sit and talk privately.

"So…when are you going to tell Haley?" Brooke questioned quietly and slowly, knowing he'd probably get upset for her asking. Her warm chocolate eyes met his blue ones, and held for a long moment. Neither of them realized that Karen had put their coffees in front of them.

"Soon…but I'm…I'm scared, you know? How is she going to react? Seeing the way you took it was hard enough…I don't know what I'm going to do." Lucas put his head in his hands, and sighed.

Brooke rubbed his back comfortingly, and leaned forward to kiss his temple. "No matter what happens, I love you and I am here beside you. I will always be right beside you. And she will probably be pissed at first…that's a given…but she loves you, Lucas, as much as I do. She'd be crazy to shut you out completely."

"Who'd be crazy?" a deep voice questioned cheerily. Lucas looked up, and saw Nathan and Haley standing in the doorway, coffees in hand. "Everything okay, bro?"

Brooke took Lucas' hand and squeezed it gently, encouraging him to tell them now. Lucas slid his fingers in between hers, and squeezed it back. "Uh…no…I um…I think you might want to sit down."

Haley glanced from Brooke, to Nathan, to Lucas, confused. Nathan quickly realized what was going on, and guided Haley towards the couch. "What's going on, Lucas?" she asked nervously.

Luke took a deep breath, and his gaze shifted to the floor. "Do you remember when I told you that I didn't have the HCM?" he began, his voice barely audible. He was bracing himself for Haley's anger. Glancing up at his best friend, he saw the shock in her face. Nathan was watching her as well, sympathy in his eyes. "W-well, I uh…I wasn't being honest. I…I do have HCM."

Haley was silent for a moment, and Nathan pulled her close. She pushed him away, and stood. "You lied to us! How could you lie to us! It's not even like it was something small…you lied about a heart condition!" She started to breathe heavily. "I need some air…"

Nathan jumped up beside her. "I'll take you-"

"Why aren't you freaking out about this? Did you know? How could you not tell me! Why the hell am I the only one who didn't know!" Haley yelled, tears of fury filling her eyes. Nathan tried to pull her close, but she shoved him away. "Stay away from me. All of you stay away from me! I don't want to talk to you anymore!"

With that, Haley ran out of the café, leaving Brooke and Nathan in shock, and Lucas in heartbreak. His best friend didn't want to speak to him. What was he going to do? Haley had always been there when he needed her…except for now. He needed to know she'd support him, that she'd be there if something happened. "I…I need to walk," he muttered, his breaths getting short and his chest tight.

"Lucas, are you okay?" Brooke questioned, concerned at the pain in his eyes. She grabbed his arm before he could leave, and he turned to her slowly. "Hey, it's going to be okay, she'll come around. Just give her some time."

Lucas nodded, leaned forward to kiss her lightly, turned and hit fists with Nathan, and then walked out alone. He knew where he was headed…the place he hadn't been since the night of the accident. When he got there, his breaths had returned to normal and his chest had loosened. He made a mental note to ask his mom to order a refill for his meds...they were running low.

He found the basketball, and picked it up in something that resembled reverence. When he played, everything else seemed to fall away. It was his escape, and the thought of never playing again killed him.

He had to stop when his chest started to get tight again. Frustration filled him, and he let himself fall to his knees. He didn't know what else to do…except cry. No one was looking, so why hold back?

He stayed that way for a long time…he wasn't sure exactly how long, but he heard heavy footfalls coming towards him, a deep voice calling his name, and a gentle hand on his shoulder. Lucas looked up, and saw Nathan looking back at him, concerned. Brooke was a little ways behind him, jogging up to them.

"Lucas, what are you doing here?" Nathan questioned softly, sitting down so he was on Lucas' level. Brooke came over and did the same, but took Luke's hand. They both looked concerned and angry at the same time. He'd done a stupid thing, and all of them knew it.

"I don't know…I can't help it…I hate not being able to play. I guess…I just come back here in hopes that I'll find out it was all a dream, and that I'm awake now and can play again."

Brooke leaned her head on his shoulder comfortingly, and Nathan squeezed his shoulder. The three of them stayed that way, comforting each other, and watched the colors change on the river as the sun began to set.


	16. Chapter 16

Lol thanks for the responses! You guys are awesome! This story finally got over 20,000 hits, so thank you very, very much for your support. I hope you like this chapter.

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**CHAPTER 16: **Blocked…

Lucas sat silently on a cushion in Brooke's room, watching her as she wrote down the answer to a homework question. A sudden thought hit him. "You know, it looks like DWnotI hasn't worked well yet, we'll have to work on it some."

Brooke looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"DW_not_I. We got hit by a drunk driver…so I guess that means DWnotI hasn't started working well enough yet. We'll have to promote it soon. Whadda ya say?" He asked goofily, earning a dimpled grin from his girlfriend. "But first we have to pick up my meds, ok?"

Brooke nodded, and closed her book. "Where are we going to promote?" 

Lucas thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Not sure yet, but we'll figure something out. C'mon," he murmured, offering her his hand. When she took it, he pulled her up and spun her around, then leaned her back like a pair of dancers. Their eyes were locked for a long time, and the electricity flowing through their bodies felt almost like it would've been visible to someone watching them.

It was that moment that Lucas realized that he saw forever in her eyes. Even though they were still in high school, in that moment, he saw for the first time, their children in her eyes. The thought brought tears to his eyes. He couldn't picture his life without her.

Brooke watched the tears begin to form in his eyes, and felt a pang of concern. A sudden thought hit her…one that didn't sound like her own thought…it almost sounded like Lucas' voice…_this is the man that you're going to marry. There is no one else for you. So kiss him, already!_

So she did. His lips felt warm and sweet, like they always did…but this kiss was different from their others. She understood that he felt the same way that she did. She felt all of the love he had for her, moreso then than ever before.

"We have to go before the pharmacy closes, Cheery," Luke whispered, breathless with joy. He slid his hand in hers, and grinned at her before tugging her towards the door.

When they approached the new car, Brooke hesitated. Lucas turned to her, and saw the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Luke, I'm sorry. I just can't help but remember that night," she sighed. Lucas watched her for a long moment, then hugged her close to him.

"Hey, it's okay now…I'm okay now. And I swear to you that I will never leave you again." He kissed her forehead, and they slowly made their way to the car.

The drive to the store was silent. While Lucas went to get the medications, Brooke picked up a few things she needed. Lucas dug in his pocket to find the card that Andy had given him to pay for the meds with, and handed it to the pharmacist.

"You're Lucas Scott?" the man questioned professionally. Lucas nodded, and was surprised to see the man automatically return the card. "I'm sorry, but this card cannot pay for these medications. There has been a request made by Mr. Dan Scott to only accept his card."

Lucas raised an eyebrow questioningly. "These medications are for me. Why would I not be able to buy my own medicine?"

"Mr. Scott explained to me that you may want to buy the medicine on your own and are not in proper financial situations to do so. I'm sorry, sir, but I must obey his request."

Lucas growled in frustration. "How much did my father pay _this_ time!" With that, he spun on his heel, and stalked off to find Brooke, who had just finished paying for her things.

"What's wrong, Broody?" she asked, her voice full of concern. She saw his empty hands and knew something was up.

"Dan's got it so I can't buy the meds…only he can. And the bastard won't unless I live with him. _Damn it_!" He rubbed his temples, and took a few deep breaths. "Sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay…I understand perfectly. Do you want to go talk to Dan?" Brooke questioned, placing her hand on Lucas' cheek gently. He leaned into her palm, and nodded. "Let's go, then."

He shook his head. "This is something I don't want you there for. I don't want him to find any reason to hurt you in any way. I'm going to drop you off at home."

"Like _hell_ you are! I'm here for you no matter what…I will always be right by your side. Which probably makes me your weakness, right? So that's one reason for him to hurt me. But I have you, so I'm not afraid."

Lucas smiled gratefully at her. Hand-in-hand, they went back to the car, and drove to Dan's. Brooke squeezed Lucas' hand comfortingly and encouragingly when he knocked on his father's door. Dan answered, and smirked when he saw the two standing before him, obviously furious.

"Can I help you, Lucas?"

"You sadistic bastard, why would you keep me from buying my HCM medicine! You know better than _anyone_ what can happen if I can't take it!" Lucas snapped, fire in his eyes. Brooke kept a tight grip on his hand, her own anger radiating from her.

"Oh, you mean you can actually _pay_ for it? I thought that was the whole point of living with me…because you couldn't. Or is mommy's new _boyfriend _paying for it? What can guarantee that he'll stick around? My brother sure didn't stay around for long."

Lucas pulled his hand from Brooke's and punched Dan in the jaw. Brooke grabbed her boyfriend's arm, and pulled him back to keep him from hitting his father again. "Keith stayed around a _hell_ of a lot longer than _you_ ever did. And I can _promise_ you that I'll be taking this to court if I can't get my medication on my own."

Dan chuckled humorlessly. "Just move back in with me, and it'll all go away."

"Oh, you're _funny_. Why would I move in with you again? After all of the pain you've caused my mother…my _family_?"

Without another word, he turned and left. Brooke followed, but not before turning to glare at Dan, who was grinning.

"Lucas, are you okay?" Brooke questioned softly. He only nodded, but she wasn't completely convinced. He was shaking with anger…something that was extremely rare for the mild-tempered young man.

When they got back home, they were both surprised to see Haley standing at the door, tears in her eyes. Brooke glanced between her friend and her boyfriend, and headed inside without a word. She could see that they needed a moment alone.

"Luke…I'm so sorry that I flipped out like that. I mean, I'm upset that you never told me…but I was just afraid of the thought of losing you," Haley murmured, throwing her arms around Lucas' neck. He hugged her back tightly, glad that she had come back to him.

"Hales…I _should've_ told you right away. But I was scared too, you know? I was afraid of being treated differently. But I'm glad that I told you, because I don't have to hide it anymore. You know I love you, right?"

Haley pulled back, and nodded. "Not as much as Brooke, though," she commented.

Lucas grinned. "I love you as much as I love Brooke…just a different _kind_ of love." Haley hugged him again, and then pulled away from him completely.

"I have to go…I just needed to talk to you…I'm going out with Nathan…I love you!" She kissed Lucas on the cheek, and was gone before he could really understand what was going on.

Lucas shook his head, laughing, and headed inside. Brooke stood from the couch, and smiled when she saw his grin. "So I take it that it went well?" Lucas' nod thrilled her, and she squealed. "I'm so happy that we're all okay again."

The door opening startled both of them, and they turned to see Andy and Karen in the doorway, looking happier than Luke and Brooke were.

"Mom?"

"Lucas…we have some good news."

"We're getting married," Andy announced happily. Lucas grinned widely, and Brooke squealed again. Lucas and Brooke hugged them both in congratulations.

"Oh, I just _love_ weddings!" Brooke exclaimed.

"So, when are we going to celebrate!" Lucas questioned, incredibly happy that his mother was engaged to a great man, who was becoming a great father figure and friend to Lucas.

The four of them stood together in giddy happiness, Karen showing off her ring, while they all discussed celebration plans.


	17. Chapter 17

The final actual chapter...wow. Thank you guys sooo much! It means so much to me that you've given me such awesome feedback. Hopefully I'll be able to start posting my new OTH story, "The Ultimate Decision" (tentative title, probably going to be changed...), though I might wait till I get a little farther in my other stories first. Either way, the epilogue is probaby coming up later today! I hope you enjoy!

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**CHAPTER 17:A Promise…**

Brooke and Lucas helped Andy and Karen plan their wedding in great detail for about a month before they took a break on it at all. In that time, Lucas had gotten to the point where he couldn't keep his eyes off of Brooke for long. Watching her eyes light up with joy made it impossible not to kiss her.

This day was not like any of the previous planning days they'd had. The four of them, plus Nate and Haley, were standing in the middle of the church that they'd be having the wedding in. Brooke was leaning against a wall, chattering animatedly with Haley while the others discussed plans.

Lucas watched her distractedly, and could only think of how beautiful she looked. Glancing at Nate, he decided that was the perfect time to ask her what had been on his mind for a very long time. He murmured an apology to the others, and then headed over to two of the girls that meant the most to him.

"Hey, Luke, what's up?" Haley questioned warmly, a wide grin on her face. For a second, he wondered if she could tell what he was going to ask…but who could, he hadn't mentioned this to anyone, not even Nathan.

"I just came over to ask Brooke a question," he explained. Brooke gave him a curious look, and her eyes grew wide as he knelt down on one knee. "Brooke Davis…will you marry me, in a few years?" He pulled the ring out of his pocket, and held it up to her. Brooke was crying by then, and couldn't answer. Lucas stood, and took her hands comfortingly. "This is a promise ring…it's not the real thing yet…we're too young to be married…but I love you more than anything, and I just want to be with you for the rest of my life, and I am willing to wait as long as I have to. But the thought of you with someone else kills me. Call me selfish…but I want you all to myself."

Brooke had been staring at him the entire time, and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. After a long embrace, Lucas pulled back, and slid the white-gold diamond ring on her finger. She stared at it for a moment, and then kissed Lucas happily. "I promise I'll only be yours."

The applause from the rest of the people in the church brought them back to reality, and Haley squealed excitedly and hugged both of them, staring at Brooke's ring in awe. Her eyes were filled with tears as well. She was so happy that her two best friends were finally together…for good.

"Wow, Luke, that came out of nowhere. Why didn't you tell me you were going to propose to her?" Nathan questioned, patting his brother on his back. Lucas chuckled.

"I don't know, man…it was just a thought that hit me out of nowhere. And I didn't propose, per say…I asked her for a promise."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Propose, promise, either way, you two are stuck together," he teased. Lucas hit him playfully on the arm, and Nathan ducked away.

"You make it sound like a bad thing!"

"You forget, I'm telling you out of experience. Look at me and Hales," he explained, pulling his wife to him and kissing the top of her head. "There's no getting rid of her!" Haley turned around to protest, but he silenced her with a deep kiss.

Lucas laughed at the sight, and then turned his attention to Brooke. She strode up to him, smiling shyly. Lucas pulled her close, and she wrapped her hands around his neck. "He's right, you know." Their eyes met and held.

"How so?" Lucas questioned, kissing the tip of her nose. Brooke leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"You are stuck with me for good now," she murmured. Lucas kissed her jaw line, then the very corner of her lips, and then finally her mouth. Everything felt so right in that moment.

"I think I can handle that."

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It didn't take long for the word to spread. Soon, everyone in their school knew the truth…which made their lives much easier. It was almost hard to keep the people away…everyone wanted to congratulate them, and ask if they ever really hated each other.

By the end of the first day after their promise, Lucas was exhausted, and his chest was starting to tighten up. He knew he needed that medicine soon, so he and Brooke decided to go try again.

"Lucas Scott, HCM medication please."

The man took the insurance card, slid it through the machine, and handed it to him with a smile. "One moment, please," he requested, before turning to go to the back room for the medicine.

Luke turned to Brooke, a surprised and happy smile on his face. "Well, I guess my warning worked…" Brooke smiled, leaning forward to kiss him happily.

"Here you go, Sir. Have a nice day."

"Thank you."

The two walked hand-in-hand, to the Café, to get coffee. "You know…this'll be the third time trying to get coffee since you came back. The first time, we were in a car accident…the second time; we broke the news to Haley about my HCM. This time…will third time be a charm? Will we actually get coffee?" Lucas questioned jokingly.

And they did get coffee that night…and sat with Andy and Karen. They were two perfect couples…and from a glance, they looked like a perfect family, too.


	18. Epilogue

So, yeah, this is incredibly short, but it's just a quick wrap up so I can post some more of my other stories. And I think I'll cry if I even look at this again, because Brooke _actually _broke up with him! Urgh I love the show but it makes me want to cry! Anyways, thank you all soooo much again for your incredible support! Please, if you haven't done so already, check out some other stuff of mine and let me know what you think!

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**EPILOGUE**

"I now pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride!" the pastor stated happily. Everyone cheered as the groom leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his bride's lips.

The couple turned and made their way back down the isle, unable and unwanting to keep themselves from glowing with happineess.

They turned and waved as they were sliding into the limo, and when the door shut, it was completely silent for a few minutes.

"So...how does it feel to officially be Mrs. Lucas Scott now?" Luke asked softly, turning her weddingband on her finger, and then kissing the back of her hand. Brooke giggled.

"It feels wonderful to be finally married to the man I've been promised to for...oh, seven years? The only benefit of marrying you is the fact that we share the same name now," she joked. Lucas kissed her deeply.

"The only benefit?" he questioned in a low, quiet voice. She couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Well, yeah."

"What, you don't want any kids?" Lucas asked teasingly. Brooke gasped in mock surprise.

"Why, Mr. Scott, you are right. I almost forgot about that."

The couple laughed, stars in their eyes whenever they looked at each other. Anyone that saw them that night at the reception could see how much they loved each other, and how excited they were that this was finally coming true for them, after 7 years of waiting.


End file.
